The present invention relates to a pants-type disposable diaper for absorbing and containing body exudates.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No. Hei8-112308 discloses a pants-type disposable diaper having elastic members extending across a zone corresponding to a wearer""s body zone including the urethral meatus transversely of the diaper and secured to the diaper with appropriate tension. According to the disclosure, a fitting of the diaper to the body zone including the urethral meatus is improved by such an arrangement.
Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No. Hei9-56746 discloses a pants-type body fluids absorbent article comprising a pants-type outer cover and a liquid absorbent pad attached to an inner surface of the outer cover and extending across a crotch region into front and rear waist regions of the outer cover. The outer cover is provided in the vicinity of the uppermost points of respective leg-openings with elastic members circumferentially extending in the waist regions and the crotch region of the cover member is elastic longitudinally of the article.
The diaper disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No. Hei8-112308 is characterized by that a liquid-absorbent body comprising a liquid-absorbent core disposed between topsheet and the backsheet is provided with the elastic members extending transversely of the diaper. The elastic members serve to fit the waist regions of the diaper to the wearer""s body and thereby to improve a fitting of the diaper also in the zone including the urethral meatus. However, such an improvement of the fitting relies on a circumferential fitting of the diaper and can not meet a requirement that the diaper should be pressed against the urethral meatus vertically or obliquely from below.
With the article disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Disclosure Gazette No. Hei9-56746, the entire crotch region is elastic longitudinally of the article and therefore it is certainly possible to press the liquid-absorbent pad lying in the crotch region against the wearer""s body zone including the urethral meatus vertically or obliquely from below. However, the entire crotch region pressed against the wearer""s body may cause a problem of stuffiness. In addition, a relatively expensive elastic sheet must be used in the crotch region. Therefore, such article is not advantageous with respect also to its manufacturing cost.
In view of the problem as has been described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable a diaper which measures a liquid-absorbent pad to be tightly placed against a wearer""s urethral meatus and an area in the vicinity thereof without an apprehension that the diaper may cause a significant stuffiness.
According to the present invention, there is provided a disposable diaper comprising a pants-type outer cover having a front waist region, a rear waist region, a crotch region therebetween, a waist-opening and a pair of leg-openings; and a liquid-absorbent pad attached to an inner surface of the outer cover and extending across the crotch region into the front and rear waist regions, wherein:
the outer cover is provided in a transversely middle of the front waist region with a zone defined to cover a wearer""s urethral meatus and an area in the vicinity thereof and being elastic transversely of the diaper under effect of elastic members; the pad comprises a liquid-pervious topsheet, a liquid-impervious backsheet and a liquid-absorbent core wherein the pad has longitudinally opposite ends which extend transversely of the diaper and transversely opposite side edges which extend longitudinally of the diaper; an outer surface of the longitudinally opposite ends are joined to the inner surface of the outer cover; and outer surfaces of the side edges are joined to the inner surface of the outer cover along zones of the outer cover transversely spaced apart from each other across the transversely elastic middle zone.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the liquid-absorbent core of the pad member is formed on its outer surface along its transversely middle line with a groove extending longitudinally of the diaper so that the core may be easily bent along the groove.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pad is formed along its transversely opposite side edges with a pair of barrier cuffs extending longitudinally of the diaper and adapted to be risable on the inner surface of the pad so that the pair of barrier cuffs cooperate with the inner surface of the pad to form a pair of channels adapted to be opened inwardly of the pad.